Richard Turnley Jr., the first black member elected to the
Louisiana House from Baton Rouge in modern times and a founder of the Louisiana
Legislative Black Caucus, died after a long-term illness, a Southern University
news release said Wednesday. His funeral
is scheduled for Saturday.

"It was a great pleasure knowing him," Joe Delpit, a
longtime friend and colleague of Turnley said Wednesday. "He was a people's
man. He worked hard for the community."

Turnley served Louisiana as both a State Representative and
State Senator and retired as the CEO of the Southern Teachers & Parents
Federal Credit Union, the oldest black-owned financial institution in Baton
Rouge.

Delpit and Turnley started in Baton Rouge fighting for the
"war on poverty." Turnley passed away at Our Lady of the Lake on Jan. 19 at the
age of 79.

Mayor-President
Kip Holden said he used to cover Turnley as a reporter when he worked for a
local TV and radio station in Baton Rouge.

"He
worked a lot with Edwin Edwards. Edwin would cater to helping out those who were
less fortunate and try to work with projects in community that prior to his
term had not been included."

Although
Turnley fought for civil rights, Delpit says, he was an advocate for "silver
rights" as well. "He wanted to black people to save money and start
businesses," Delpit said.

In 1972, Turnley was elected to the Louisiana House of
Representatives where he served until 1984 when he was elected to the Louisiana
Senate.

One of
Turnley's biggest accomplishments during his time in the senate, according to
Delpit, was his push for eliminating housing discrimination.

"Pretty
much he was a very hard worker, he tried to do a lot of things for Southern
University and North Baton Rouge and he reached out to try to help people and
improve the services offered to those not only in his district but also other
districts as well," Holden said. "But he had a very close working relationship
with Gov. Edwards."

Turnley was one of the 10 founding members of the Louisiana
Legislative Black Caucus in 1977.

"They
were the pioneers, because again the black caucus back then was only 12-14
people and so that was small. They were a small group of people, they were not
afraid to go to the microphone and speak against what they considered an
injustice."

"He'll be
missed. He made tremendous contributions to the state of Louisiana and people
need to make sure they maintain him in their thoughts and prayers," Holden
said.

“I was saddened to learn of the passing of former legislator Richard Turnley, Jr," Louisiana House of Representatives Speaker Chuck Kleckley said in a prepared statement Wednesday evening.

"I would like to acknowledge his service and the impact he had on the House of Representatives. Evident in his key role of creating the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, it is clear that he was a leader of conscience and compassion, and was an able and gifted representative of his constituents," he said.

"Mr. Turnley dedicated his entire life to advocating for those most in need. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”